Rep. Bob Barrett has performed as promised

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent an email with a title that I thought summed up the most important aspect of this election. It read, “Fiscal Cliff: Bigger than Partisan Politics.”

We need legislators who have the courage and the determination to tackle this issue. It will not be easy or popular. The fact is sobering, we have spent more money in America than we have, $16 trillion more.

We have reason to be alarmed at what is happening at the federal level and reason to be encouraged at the state level. In 2010, candidate Barack Obama promised that if elected he would reduce the unemployment rate and cut the deficit in half. For 43 months in a row unemployment has been over 8 percent and the deficit has grown by $5 trillion.

The good news is that candidate for state representative Bob Barrett promised that he would reign in excessive government spending and improve the jobs climate in Minnesota. Bob performed as promised. Before the last election the unemployment rate in Chisago County was 11 percent. It is now at 6.1 percent. When Bob and the Republicans took control of the Legislature the state was facing a $6.2 billion budget deficit caused by the previous Democrat controlled Legislature reckless spending.

In 18 months, Bob and the Republicans turned the DFL $6.2 billion deficit into a $1.2 billion surplus. Voting for Barrett not only makes $ and cents, it keeps Minnesota going in the right direction.